Wedding weekend

Last weekend saw local couple Andrew and Duffy celebrate their marriage with a blessing on Samson and a festival of fun on Bryher. 

The bride looked beautiful, the groom handsome and the partying went on until daybreak the following day. The Big Hoolie looks set to be replayed every summer with bands, booze and lots of dancing making for a most memorable evening.

Sasha wins the family prize for stamina as she danced until 5am. On an evening where four different bands played sets, once the 11am curfew arrived the revellers donned their headsets and a silent disco continued until daybreak. 

My niece Zoe of Bryher Bakebox fame made the cakes, including her much loved tattie cake.

Steve and Jamie made the wooden cake stand, a rustic take on the standard version.

The marquee was decorated with the help of friends and family alike to create a colourful backdrop for the celebrations. The weather was changeable outside but the huge marquee was windproof and big enough to accommodate eating, drinking and dancing for all.

Steve scrubs up well, doesn't he? My feather trimmed pyjama suit shed forensic evidence all evening, even the ladies loos were documented with my visits.

There is a point where dressing up can be mistaken for fancy dress... A friend, on seeing this photo, asked me what the wedding theme was and I had to explain. The lady on the right had attended the hen do on the mainland, at Rattlerfest for those who might have heard of it. Anyway, the theme for the hens was to wear the worst bridesmaid's dress. This mint green ensemble is the remaking of her hen dress. My feather trimmed pyjama suit cannot be explained away apart from the fact that I always feel I have to try a little bit harder to create the wow factor on these occasions. Dressing up daily for work does set the bar a bit higher than most. That said, I did receive many compliments, one being from a young friend of Sasha's who told me she had been taking in all of the elements of my outfit and had decided that's what she would aspire to at my age. The sandals are from Vinted, the feather trimmed pyjama suit is by River Island but was from Vinted earlier this year.

My one regret of the evening was that I wasn't there for Jamie's speech. Andrew and Jamie grew up together, bonding at the hostel when they were teenagers and having this easy, steady friendship that has matured as they have grown into men. As one of the groomsmen, Jamie had written is thoughts down and somehow managed to reduce the entire company to tears with his story of their lifelong friendship. I've lost count of the number of people who approached us to say what a wonderful speech he delivered. Proud parent moment.

Steve and his sister Gill...

...and with Jo-Jo, one of his great nephews. 

We came home on an 11pm boat, a gentle crossing between the islands on a moonlit evening. It had been a special day, an island gathering for a much loved couple.

On Sunday, we met, a much smaller gathering of family, at the Ruin Beach Cafe for lunch. Somehow Sasha was there despite only having had one hour of sleep!

Oh how I have pizza envy! Even though I can't eat 'em I do love to see them...

Pizza cooked in a wood fired stove - yum yum!

We had a long, lazy lunch and afterwards found the perfect shot to capture my outfit of the day.

Details are: Steve Madden handbag (from TK Maxx), white trousers are a recent buy from Number36 in Penzance, sandals from TK Maxx and top is from Vinted.

The weather was glorious and Tresco was looking pretty perfect in the summer sunshine.

Many thanks to Steve for being my photographer of the day. Despite the heckling, he did a good job. I do hope you've enjoyed the latest catch up from Tresco and the Parkes family. Leave me a comment if you have. 

                                                                    Anna x

43 years ago

43 years ago on the 3rd of October Steve and I were married. I posted this image on my Instagram last week and it had the biggest response ever so I thought I'd dedicate this week's post to our happiest of days. 

We were married at the Registry Office on St Mary's followed by our wedding reception on Tresco - a half hour boat ride away by open boat.

The boatman of the day was David Stedeford, kingpin of Bryher Boats in those days. He told us that had it not been for the fact of our wedding that they would have cancelled the boattrip as the weather was so rough. This fact was wasted on me as I spent the entire day floating along on cloud nine! 

Steve and I sat under cover with my mother-in-law Kate and sister-in-law Gill with her children, Steven, Kate and babe in arms Gem. I recall that the sun was shining despite the atrocious state of the sea which I viewed as if I were somehow removed from it all. Seemingly it was a hellish trip. My best friend Marjory hung her head over the side of the boat for the entire journey puking her guts up as the waves crashed over her head - poor Marj!

We arrived at Old Grimsby and were met by the pony and trap, the traditional mode of transport for weddings at that time. 

Our wedding reception was at the Island Hotel which was also my place of work. I was a scatty chambermaid in those days. Our photographer was John Davidson a friend and fellow employee from work. 

Steve's fellow gig rowers were waiting for us at the hotel creating an archway with the gig paddles for us to pass under for good luck. Steve had rowed Stroke in the Czar for many years before I turned up on Tresco and he carried on with that for many more after we were married.

No blog post of mine would be complete without reference to my outfit... The wedding gown came from Pronuptia in Truro and was made of the finest Itailian tulle. It cost me £220 which in those days seemed outrageous. The lace was cream in colour and was beautifully weighty. The lace collar however wouldn't stand up as I had hoped despite much pinning and spraying the night before, however once on, I forgot all of that and felt like a princess for the day!

Marjorie has dried off by this time. I don't think she ever forgot that terrible bumpy boat ride where she thought she might die.

The last posed photo of the day. All too soon it was time for us to head off to the airport on our way to Tenerife for our honeymoon.

And this is my favourite photo of the day. The deed was done, the wedding breakfast and speeches over and at last we were able to relax. I was so relieved! In fact, I pretty much look like the cat who got the cream, which I was. Steve was Tresco's most eligible bachelor when I arrived on Tresco in 1978 and some three years later we were married. One or two of the local girls were not impressed that I'd swooped in and scooped him up, but hey, I fancy he had some say in the matter too. 

I do hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane with me. Steve and I have been together for 46 years now, married for 43 and can highly recommend it!

                                                                        Anna x

Kate and Andy got married!

Within our small island community we don't have many local weddings, although some visitors do come here to get married. It was therefore hugely exciting to see the much loved Kate Clement and Andy Lawson get wed last Saturday, the 10th November 2018. 

The proud father of the bride escorts her down the aisle. The church was full with standing room only for latecomers. Kate spent the entire day with an enormous grin across her face - she had looked forward to this moment for a long time.

Dearest Kate! I love her earnest look as Andy takes his vows. Talk about hanging on his every word!

The relief is enormous as the happy couple emerge from the church. Andy is a member of our Auxiliary Fire Service which explains the water hose above the church doorway. Kate rowed in the ladies gig crew for many years hence the gig paddles creating an archway for the happy couple to pass through for luck.

The wedding day weather had been a mixture of sunshine and showers. We were all delighted when the bride arrived in glorious sunshine. But just as Mr & Mrs Lawson stepped outside the porch to start married life together the heavens opened!

This has to be my favourite capture of the day. Kate looks radiant as she huddles together with her darling nieces.

Gemma and Elsa are terribly chic young ladies.

The bride and groom, the bridesmaids and best man all took refuge in the fire truck which transported them all on to the Abbey Gardens for a photo shoot.

Kate came to the island 11 years ago to volunteer for a week at the Abbey Garden. After extending her stay for another two weeks she was offered a job as gardener on the Cottage Department where she still works happily, enjoying the independence it gives her as well as the opportunity to be creative as she tends the small cottage gardens preparing them for the new influx of guests. 

Andy is the Head Gardener at the Abbey Garden and can be seen throughout the summer giving guided tours through his empire. He is an expert tree surgeon too as well as a skilled propagator and veg gardener. His love of plants has led him to travel far and wide, gathering specimens to add to the garden collection.

Andy and Kate have been together for 10 years now. Their joint passion for plants is a strong bond between them - tomorrow the couple are leaving to go on honeymoon to South Africa, home to many of the plants Andy cares for within the Garden.

A reminder of the other aspect of Kate's life - she loves to sea swim and we've had many an adventure together. We encountered inquisitive seals as we swam from Samson to St Agnes on a training day and we've also battled our way through a lively sea swell with a brisk head wind the time we decided to swim from New Grimsby to Appletree Bay just for a laugh. Kate is a true water babe who rocks a bikini too!

Kate and Andy are at the heart of our community, involved in all the things that cement island life, from the annual fete to weekly cricket, table tennis and card games in the pub as well as Sunday drinks gatherings on their patio which affords the best vantage point across New Grimsby. This long awaited wedding was a wonderful gathering of both families from as far as Bali, Denmark, France and Scotland and friends, also from far flung places as well as those from the islands. Congratulations to this much loved and popular couple - thank you for including us in this unique island event. Three cheers for Mr & Mrs Lawson!

P.S. Before you ask, the photos were professionally done and secondly if you want to see what I wore, then you'll have to come back on Monday...

Anna x